A , dusty, flyblooo  grace, tune to find time is about turn of tury, long after t is past; and t ty-stricken s, run tos corrupt ss bank, telegrap is an appointment of theirs.

    tablis in toly ill-matcive European aristocrat and ress, traigive, affectionate woman.

    Ser of Maria Mendoza, ts s ained t, arrived, t of no;Iquot;ve come er all time. . . to go.quot; Roxanad  of experience in trade; affed it  good reason to lie lo tomers very  of trouble, tors -- and sometimes tor, a stray passerby, a travelling salesman, say, or a smuggler. thel prospers.

    And t, in  and ts of dandified black, lends a little class to t; so o to ornament resss bar. A certain bitterness, a dour dignity, cerises t.

    t lets visitors buy drinks for  a distinguisance about ill, even if o ry, a legendary marksman. tter among t o do an act in a circus. o s all il she day she was born!

    But

    some man so, some seamy story. . .  it in San Francisco, on terfront? No, no, no -- everytria, or Germany, or ouc Roxana. s, no only ts best not to pay attention to sucories, even if Maddalena once old  ts sively crosses herself.

    In toions. ion to live anyty as a picture, s sixteen, sullen, dissatisfied, s a feion  to learn o read and e.  does so read and e for? Not  so get married, isnt so a ric !

    In ternoon, time, Roxana and er sit in Roxanas boudoir  togetly tippling tequila. Maria Mendoza is a roaring, mannised and spurred bandit erate, moter only, tiful teresa. quot;e finally fixed it, Roxana; signed, sealed and almost delivered. . . See, ure of teresas fiance. . . isnt ;

    Roxana looks at tograp, even if a more po least so get  o bed. And teresa  even met ended. . . quot;No, no!quot; cries Maria. quot;ts not necessary. Love s eresas babies, my grandcs bo; But Roxana is less certain and sfully. quot;Anyeresa can do about it,quot; says ;its all been fixed up by Mendoza, s queen of tire border. ts a lot better t;

    tockade, in a filt of folloook it over, a rat Spaniseresas e of a fats out teresa, ter, screams at ;e live like pigs! Like pigs!quot;

    Problems in t tiest of all to start up t c for tagecoaco take tting on barrels in tore o er t a coincidence!

    y boy, too, in a velvet coat, e fingers! erously sing at cter. ed voice. Is trace of a foreign accent?

    Like t, artlingly alien in tive, semi-desert environment.

    Roxana melts maternally at t of s t by playing a little Bra-of-tune, onk piano. ts eyes mist over; oire at Vienna? Can it be possible? raordinary. . . so you udying at toire at Vienna? Alted ural sceptic. But  piano-player shes ever heard.

    And, anyions in to matter.   a little room over to sleep in,  to keep t. t bored. . . dont let ther you.

    But Joed being. ely.

    In ograps -- on tered pine dressing-table; pins up a poster for tz. ograp;Ive found out o t  be long no long.quot;

    s outside. Maria Mendoza is coming to visit er, riding astride, like a man,  to pay a formal call on ! Ride back eresa!

    Sullen, surns  trots away, s , Johnnys briefly veil.

    teresa is momentarily confused; thing.

    In t, Jo. tears of sentimental nostalgia roll do still try not to remember. . . ly, is it true ing in tro- starts.

    t t o obtain a bullet t cannot miss its target. . .

    An old legend, says t. In titious villages, till.

    All kinds of s in the open window.

    ts of a certain aristocrat, s -- arent t a man  amongst t whores and murderers?

    t, s another whisky.

    Is it true o  -- t, you! old man -- ation as a marksman so extraordinary t everyone t ural powers?

    t, recovering  of Paganini, t  o play t;

    quot;And per; says Johnny.

    quot;Youre a musician, not a murderer, Jo;

    quot;Stranglers and piano-players bot a bullet is more merciful,quot; suggests Johnny obliquely.

    Out of some kind of dream into  says: quot;t belongs to t is ;

    But tonig, cant say any more. o bed, to Roxana,  Roxana takes care of you, saken care of you, ever since she found you.

    Roxana motoo, but scroubled eyes. All  and play in times s ts old rifle, rokes tock; but  ts of deat all. Notakes no interest in ts unhy.

    It seems to Roxana t ty. to be cting to one anotimes talk in German. Roxana es t, it makes  out, excluded.

    Can  begot and to find him?

    Could it be?

    Old man and young one,  be?

    And if it is, ell her, Roxana?

    Secrets make  out, excluded. Ss in equila.

    Voices beloogetion of ttle scummy pond in front of t back off treet.

    She crosses herself, goes on rocking.

    quot;Speak Englis leave ts mysteries be; says t. quot;ted  bery, full of ;

    rocks of t lour do.

    quot;But try is more ancient by far trange gods brood over it. I s, never.quot;

    Aliens, strangers, t and Joc on teresas fating.

    Jo, tells t s rain carried. s, botinent from California, from a booking in San Francisco. . . and he far away, in Europe.

    Mendoza ore t ried to stop t her because she was screaming so loudly.

    Calm, quiet, Jos all.

    quot;e all ragedies.quot;

    quot;Some tragedies urn back on trators. Ive planned my revenge. A suitably operatic revenge. I siful senorita and give  s rangling tiful pianists ;

    Quiet, assured, deadly -- but incompetent.  knoher; never raised his hand in anger in his life.

    But ter arrived at  o ensure no bullet he mark. . .

    quot;If youve planned it all so ed to your vengeance. . .quot;

    Jo, assured, deadly.

    quot;If youre quite determined, to t is indeed more merciful tely fired.quot;

    And t ed Mendozas contempt for y.

    But Jo o lose? Youve noto a dead end, kept by a  took. . . give me a gun t  self. I kno one. I know --

    quot;I o lose,quot; says t inscrutably. quot;Except my sins, Jo my sins.quot;

    teresa, sixteen, sullen, pretty, dissatisfied, retreats into o ter bed looted from a train especially for  of taed glitter, gorges es, leafs tten, . C on t pokes its eresa tchis living?

    s open. An excited dog folloing on to to gna tten rises on its o bat at teresa es, magazines, screaming -- insupportable! Sorms out of the room.

    In tyard, ering a screaming pig. ts t of teresas made for better t.

    Sely out into ty street. Empty. Like my life, like my life.

    illo of Roxanas brot has a secluded air.

    teresa skulks beside tones at ion. Morning, slack time; in voluptuous dés;Little teresa! Little teresa! Come in and see your auntie!quot; t ockings, -girl dress, her rumpled hair.

    Roxanas doing t pours  to remonstrate ter of it, returns to side on t teresa.

    Joo play a Strauss z. Roxanas foot taps a little.

    t puts doled -- takes off s  ly flustered. Seeing  becomes more courtly still. Still quite a fine figure of a man! And s a pretty girl s have been.

    Joouco play a Strauss z in earnest.

    Roxana takes ts proffered arm; they dance.

    quot;Look! Look! Roxanas dancing!quot;

    to to dance s, petticoats, torn stockings.

    Maddalena, partnerless, lingers on teasing teresa. Music spills out of thel.

    quot;teresa! teresa! Come and dance ;

    Sloeresa arrives at tairs, peers the dancers collapse in a laughing heap.

    S  catc of ;teresa, teresa, scram! t;